phones

After two days of timing and comparing the iPhone's download speed between AT&T's EDGE network and Wi-Fi, our CNET Lab has just released its official results.

EDGE averaged a download time of 15.69 minutes for a 9.4MB file, while Wi-Fi required a mere 1.18 minutes. In the end, our test results indicate that the iPhone's Wi-Fi connection is about 13 times faster than using EDGE.

Tests were run at different points throughout the day to account for changes in network bandwidth, and the iPhone was reformatted after each download to ensure that … Read more

It's not enough that anyone with a computer can blog these days (and it sometimes seems that they all are). Phone makers want to make sure that they can also post from any location, on the go, with their mobile handsets.

Nokia was one of the first we noticed to jump on the blogwagon, in a partnership with blogging service Vox. Now Samsung has gotten into the act as well, according to Fareastgizmos, with its Mobile Blog 3G Phone SGH-L760. The Bluetooth slider handset has a 2-megapixel camera, which is built for Europe's 3G networks, is headed for … Read more

Twitter interfaces for the iPhone aren't new, of course. In fact, Hahlo was one of the first to come up with an iPhone-friendly Web app for the popular nanoblogging service. But the best Twitter Web app for the iPhone is probably PocketTweets, a relatively new site designed and developed by Pixel Implosion's Bobby Andersen and Second Gear's Justin Williams.

The interface is clean and intuitive, and we especially like the OSX-like icons along the bottom row of the screen. You can access all the typical Twitter menus like Friends, Archives, Direct Messages, and the Public Timeline. Entering … Read more

A lot of phones have built-in unit converters, but the iPhone doesn't. So this handy little app comes to the rescue to help you convert one unit of measurement to another. The layout is pretty straightforward, and it's easy to use.

iPhone link: http://www.tappingware.com/unitconverter/UnitConverter.php

One of the features iPhone users don't get to enjoy compared to their iPod brethren is mass storage--the option to use the device as a portable hard drive. Despite the iPhone's 4 and 8GB capacities, Apple isn't giving folks access to that beautiful free space. Not to fear though, eCamm Network has iPhone users covered with a $10 piece of Mac software called iPhoneDrive that turns the phone into a mass storage device.

Once installed, the program lets you send files of any size (iPhone storage permitting) back and forth. It also supports drag and drop. Unlike … Read more

It's rough getting accustomed to a touch screen phone like the iPhone, especially with the virtual keyboard. That's why someone has come up with an iPhone typing test that you use with your iPhone to get the hang of your new way of communicating. You'll soon learn to "trust the keyboard."

iPhone link: http://www.iphonetypingtest.com/

Count down the days, hours, minutes, and even seconds to that next big thing, using this iPhone app called Countdownr. You can set a counter to a specific date and time, or even configure a counter for upcoming events from public Google calendars.

iPhone link: http://www.countdownr.com/mobile.html

Things seem to have gone from bad to worse for the No. 2 mobile handset maker Motorola and its CEO, Ed Zander.

On Wednesday the company issued a profit warning citing weak sales in its mobile handset business. The company said that it expects second quarter sales of $8.6 billion to $8.7 billion, down from the $9.4 billion it had predicted earlier. The company also said it would report a loss between 2 cents and 4 cents a share. Some analysts predicted the company would actually report a profit of about 2 cents. Motorola is expected to … Read more

If you've ever wondered who's driving like a bonehead up ahead, it could be a teen who's behind the wheel, steering with one hand and sending a text message with the other. According to a study from AAA and Seventeen magazine, cited by this USA Today article, almost half of teens surveyed admitted that they send text messages from the driver's seat. (The researchers interviewed about 1,000 teen drivers in the United States to compile the data.)

That dovetails with a study published Tuesday about teen cell phone habits, which commonly include texting from the … Read more